This week, we’re talking about the Homeless Ban in the City of Melbourne, where a proposal has been put forward to basically ban people from sleeping in the CBD. It’s an ongoing part of Melbourne’s campaign against homeless people (rather than homelessness). Beneath the fold we’ve got further reading and some action points.

Bashir “Bish” Ortley, a London cop — currently suspended after his drinking problem led to an incident with another cop — gets a phone call: a bus full of British schoolkids has been bombed in France, and his teenage daughter was on board.

And worse, one of the other passengers is Violette LeBrac, whose mother has been in prison for thirteen years after she confessed to helping her father bomb a supermarket — and Bish was the cop who took four-year-old Violette from her mother’s arms after the arrest.

Violette is the obvious suspect, but before the investigation can even begin, she has disappeared, taking a thirteen-year-old boy with her.

Controversial OzYA opinion: I’m really ambivalent about Melina Marchetta’s work. Looking for Alibrandi was my favourite book in grade nine, but then it became assigned reading for grade twelve advanced English, and didn’t really hold up.

So I’m not a wholehearted Marchetta fan. I’ve liked some of her books, hated one, didn’t bother with her fantasy series. And YET, when I heard that her next book was a thriller aimed at an adult audience, I was intrigued. (Crime fiction: my other passion.) I bought Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil from Kobo and spent the weekend on the couch, inhaling it.

Belinda has been entertaining her peers with satirical illustrations of the Mam’zelles’ French civil war

Alicia suggested that Belinda “accidentally” leave her sketches where Jolly Mam’zelle Dupont can find them — but knows it will in fact be Bad Tempered Mam’zelle Rougier who’ll see the unflattering pictures

At last, we come to the final days of this marathon eight-week election campaign. How do Americans cope with campaigns that drag on for years? Is that the reason behind their low voter turnout? Is it just coincidence that “voter burnout” almost rhymes with “lower turnout”? HAVE WE JUST CRACKED THE WHOLE CONSPIRACY?

…probably not, but here’s some stuff to read and watch while we prepare for the most important part of Australian democracy: the sausage sizzle.

HOW EXCITE. We love Keanu so much, quokkas. SO MUCH. So much so that below the cut is another 1500 words of APPENDIX (We had to cut over 500 from the post hahah) including a review of his book SHADOWS, Hayley’s notes on ode to friendship Man of Tai Chi, and many photos of Keanu being gazed at adoringly by either Winona Ryder or River Phoenix.

The daily reality of living in Australia is the institutional racism that imbues every level of our government provided services. This impacts many of us, but those who are most impacted are Indigenous Australians, and it is some fucking bullshit. Today at No Award: some reading, and a request that you donate to Girl Academy, which empowers young Indigenous mums.

Good news! Steph was worried today’s post would require her dwelling on the completely disgusting ridiculousness of cutting federal funding to state schools, but keeping federal funding to private schools because they’ll definitely be discriminated against and get less money??! ? IDK, I’m hoping I’m completely misunderstanding every article I read about it.

ANYWAY, we’re not talking about that today because Steph will start yelling at work and is already really stressed. Instead: MULTICULTURAL THOMAS THE TANK ENGINE.